09/20/01:
I slept surprisingly well last night, even with all those cactus needles in my back. I should probably go to a doctor to have the needles plucked out. Right now they're just a slight discomfort, unless I hit one of them head on and then I jump. Temperatures were a balmy 40 degrees last night.
I'm not doing too well with the National Forests though. Pike and now San Isabel National Forest are semi-arid and only partially forested. They seem to rise right up from the roads so there aren't many forest roads to gain access to higher levels.
I followed US 50 from Salida to Canon City. US 50 follows the Arkansas River the whole way, much of it through canyons that appear more like volcanic eruptions. Much of the walls seem to be huge, rounded, giant boulders stacked on top of each other. Many, many rafting outfitters line US 50 so there must be some decent water somewhere. All I saw was riffles.
From Canon City I took CO 67 then CO 96 to CO 165 and am finally in a forested portion of the San Isabel National Forest.
09/21/01 Hiking Second Mace Trail:
I dunno what a mace is. I know the pepper spray mace and I know the ball and chain club the knights used but I don't know what this mace is.
Last night in the 40's again. I took a brisk walk up a steep road before breakfast thinking I wouldn't be doing any hiking. I'm headed in the general direction of The Great Sand Dunes National Monument. Heading down CO 165 I turned first into FR 383 and then FR 360, just poking around. I didn't see any camping opportunities but I did find a couple of trailheads. Looking at the atlas though, they appeared to have a lot of contour lines, meaning they're pretty steep.
Then I turned in towards the Davenport NF Campground and also found the Second Mace Trailhead. It didn't look bad on the atlas. Wrong! I decided not to take the day pack because it would rub against the cactus needles still imbedded in my back. No daypack meant no GPS. I started somewhere around 9500 feet.
The trail began with a steep ascent I would classify as moderate to upper moderate. I'd guess this ascent went on for 3/4 of a mile or so. The trail looked like it had just been groomed. Maybe by an ATV with a heavy sledge or something on the back.
When I got to the top of what I hoped was a ridge, I had nice views of adjacent slopes and valleys. Yesterday I'd seen some patches of brilliant yellow among the spruce trees as the aspens were in their full fall glory. I saw some yellow on the slopes but nothing like yesterday.
I met an archer out for deer. He said he had seen some big cat (mountain lion) tracks. He also warned of a mean old black bear sow with a couple of cubs. Rifle season starts October 1. I plan on having my butt out of the mountains and on to southern Utah by then. I don't need any new orifices.
After a short level stretch, the trail descended sharply for a couple hundred yards and then rose just as sharply for an equal distance. Several grasshoppers flew past my ear. The first one scared the crap out of me. It sounded suspiciously like a rattlesnake as it buzzed by.
I soon came to another sharp descent and decided to turn back. I had the added incentive because no daypack also meant no TP. I had to hurry.